


The Nocturnal Habits of Organics

by andrastes_grace



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Community: femslashex, F/F, Family, Gift Fic, Implied Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe), Implied Mystery Girl/Pearl (Steven Universe), Literal Sleeping Together, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Episode: s05e07 Raising the Barn, Pre-Episode: s05e07 Raising the Barn, Sleeping Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-25 00:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21347050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrastes_grace/pseuds/andrastes_grace
Summary: Peridot thinks about the odd habits of organic lifeforms.
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2019





	The Nocturnal Habits of Organics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).

There was still a great deal Peridot didn't understand about humans and other organic creatures. For example: why did they spend such a huge amount of their absurdly short existence lying motionless in a dark room while they processed the events of the preceding day in their minds? Especially since the method they used often left them unable to recall the details of the processing. Surely there were more time efficient ways of carrying this out? And why was it a social actively but only some of the time? Peridot's usual method for researching human behaviours - Camp Pining Hearts - took it for granted that the audience already understood the reasons 'why'. Or perhaps humans didn't know either, and everyone just pretended they did. Either way it was highly inconvenient.

When a Gem needed to process events in a similar manner she could do so in a fraction of the time and within the comfort of her own gem. It seemed ridiculous that humans - who barely lasted 100 years - could be so wasteful.

It was ridiculous that -

\- that -

Well, it was ridiculous, end of discussion.

The Crystal Gems - the other Crystal Gems, she corrected herself - all held their own opinions on this 'sleeping' process. Steven, for instance, considered it a necessary part of her continued existence. _His_ continued existence. This was a piece of information Steven had volunteered completely unprompted at 3am through the door to her bathroom while she listened to a mix CD titled Sad Country Breakup Songs for Lesbians. Except the exact words he had used had been much shorter and Pearl had been shocked he knew. Pearl - who had been silently observing Steven as he slept - had been happy to offer her own opinion on sleeping, a good distraction as her CD player was now inside of Lion's mane. Pearl was of the admirably sensible opinion that sleep was a waste of time. She would certainty never engage in something so abnormal as lying in a bed for eight hours at a time. And she would certainly never do so in company of of the human with the large amount of pink hair who had provided Peridot with the therapeutic music. And she certainly would never dream of doing so with Amethyst of all Gems because she certainly didn't dream at all and would certainly never project her innermost thoughts from her gem in such a fashion. Honestly, Peridot, where do you get such ideas?

She used the word 'certainly' so often that Peridot was 'certain' she wasn't being entirely truthful. But she was also certain that it would be tactless and rude to point this out.

And besides, she couldn't say anything more to Pearl because Steven threw a pillow in their direction and told them both to get out of his room.

Garnet was waiting for Peridot back in her bathroom. She said, without being asked, that she saw little point to sleep outside of competitive battling. At this, she assured Peridot, she was the master.

The next morning (again, a strange concept. Why did the acceptableness of social activities change depending on the amount of natural light? Why did humans apologise for not being 'morning people'? Why did these people not simply become nocturnal? There was so much she didn't understand.)

Anyway, the next morning, after Peridot acquired a pair of lime green headphones and secured the return of her CD player as per her arrangement with Steven, she asked Amethyst about sleep.

Amethyst's answer had been succinct: 'cause it's awesome. There doesn't need to be a reason to do something. You just lie down, zone out and wake up, like, a year later. It was like breathing and eating - sometimes it just feels like the right thing to do, y'know?

Peridot didn't know. It didn't feel right. Eating didn't feel right. Watching Camp Pining Hearts didn't feel right. Even making meep morphs didn't feel right. They weren't -

\- they weren't -

_\- (the same anymore) -_

\- Gem things. They weren't Gem things to do. Eating, sleeping, breathing, art - what point did they even serve for a Gem? What point did they serve without -

\- without being in the barn?

She tried. She lay down in the bathtub and closed her eyes, but the tub was cold and solid under her light-projected form, a long way from the hammock in the barn with its gentle sway. And the hammock was now a long, long way from her. She thought about making a new one, but she knew it wouldn't be the same without - without the barn.

Peridot missed… the_ barn_, and all the things that once annoyed her about it.

(and all the things she loved about it)

She knew Pumpkin missed it too. The way her little face looked towards the door to Steven's house whenever it opened as though she was expecting -

\- expecting...

Well, it didn't matter. Sleeping was -

"- pointless, we don't even need it." Peridot looked up from the electronics littering the floor. She had been focused trying to work out which ones she needed for her new morph and which ones were required for the generator. She did a 180 spin, not bothering to stand, so she was facing her barnmate.

"I know," Lapis was lying in the barn's hammock, "But I enjoy it."

"What's so great about it? While you're just lying there for six to eight hours I can watch an entire season of Camp Pining Hearts."

Lapis shrugged, "I just do. I like not having to... think. About...stuff."

'Stuff'. A small word for a big topic.

"I've never tried it."

"You should. It's relaxing. The hammock sways and I can usually hear you working on a meep morph, or watching CPH. I like it."

"... are you saying I put you to sleep?"

Lapis laugh-snorted, nearly falling from her bed. "No! I like when you're near. It's comforting, I guess. You've grown on me. A little." Lapis held her index finger and thumb so a tiny sliver of light could be seen between them. "This much."

"Wow thanks. You're more or less okay to live with, too."

"If I had to pick a Gem to be stranded on an alien planet with, you'd be my tenth pick. Probably."

"I find that hard to accept. Hard to accept you know and like that many Gems, Lapis." Peridot's rapid-fire laughter bounced off the barn's walls.

"Well, guess who just got moved to my 20th choice."

"I'm sure I'll cope." Peridot stood up, and stretched. She'd let her form stay in one position too long. Lapis reached out, and took Peridot's hand in her own.

"Join me," she said, the sudden sincerity after their sarcastic exchange catching Peridot off balance. Her hand felt as though it was burning, and her legs as though they might give way at any second.

"... okay."

It was a squash. Peridot could feel Lapis' hair tickling her scent receptacles. One of Lapis' arms was around Peridot's waist, but Peridot was unsure of what to do with her own arms. The hammock made a sharp movement as Pumpkin left up to join them. She turned around a couple of times before settling in Peridot's arms. Lapis' free hand reached out to rest on Pumpkin's stalk, her fingers brushing Peridot's.

For the first time in her exsitance, Peridot fell asleep, to the sway of a hammock, the creak of a barn and the faint smell of the sea.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to silveradept for giving me such great prompts! I really hope I managed to write something you like. This ended up a lot more bittersweet than I intended (in fact, this is a completely different fic from the one I meant to write!)


End file.
